Redzepi co-founded multi award-winning Noma (Image: Getty)
The head chef of the world’s best restaurant has stepped down after the heat over abuse allegations became too much.
Rene Redzepi, who co-founded multi award-winning Noma, walked after being dogged by claims of physical and psychological mistreatment from staff.
Former employees had accused the chef, famous for reindeer brain jelly, edible soil, and foraged ingredients, of creating a toxic work environment.
The claims included that he punched employees in the face, jabbed them with kitchen implements and slammed them against walls.
Albanian-Danish Redzepi, 48, said: “I’ve decided to step away and allow our extraordinary leaders to now guide the restaurant into its next chapter.”
Writing on Instagram he added that the recent weeks had “brought attention and important conversations about our restaurant, industry and my past leadership”.
He said: “I have worked to be a better leader and Noma has taken big steps to transform the culture over many years. I recognise these changes do not repair the past. An apology is not enough; I take responsibility for my own actions.”
Redzepi co-founded multi award-winning Noma in Copenhagen (Image: Getty)
Noma, formerly a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark, was ranked the best restaurant in the world five times.
It had been preparing for a Los Angeles residency, but corporate sponsors including American Express, withdrew after the abuse claims and protests outside his pop-up location.
Reservations for the Noma pop-up in Los Angeles cost £1,120 per person and sold out in minutes.
Redzepi said: « For anyone wondering what this means for the restaurant, let me say it clearly: the Noma team today is the strongest and most inspiring it has ever been.
« We’ve been open for 23 years, and I’m incredibly proud of our people, our creativity, and the direction Noma is heading. »
Redzepi also resigned from the board of MAD, a non-profit organisation he founded in 2011 which helps those who are new to the restaurant industry.
The claims against Redzepi first surfaced in the New York Times with former employees accusing the chef of creating an abusive culture in the kitchen and a toxic work environment, which included verbal threats and physical mistreatment at the eatery he founded in 2003.
Its report was based on interviews with 35 former employees and described a “pattern of physical punishment” and “lasting trauma from layers of psychological abuse, including intimidation, body shaming and public ridicule”.
After the accusations Redzepi said: « To those who have suffered under my leadership, my bad judgement, or my anger I am deeply sorry and I have worked to change. »
He admitted he had « shouted and pushed people, acting in ways that are unacceptable » and admitted to seeking therapy to manage his anger.
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